Jota, Jesus and the six strikers BETTER than Ronaldo in 2021/22
Robin Bairner
- 7 Aug 2022 11:27 BST
- 10 min read
Cristiano Ronaldo was Manchester United’s undoubted ace last season, but there were six centre-forwards in the Premier League who outperformed him.
Ronaldo has hit the football transfer news headlines throughout this summer due to his desire to leave Man Utd.
He may be pressed into action on the opening day of the season against Brighton due to an injury to Anthony Martial, with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner reportedly feeling fit to start after just one week of pre-season training.
Despite his undoubted importance to Man Utd last term, though, Ronaldo was not among the absolute elite centre-forwards in the Premier League, according to data analytics experts SciSports, who analyse performance based on hundreds of in-game data points and give players a ranking based on those.
Ronaldo was the seventh-best striker in the Premier League last season, so how do those above him rank?
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6. Gabriel Jesus – Manchester City
Gabriel Jesus struggled to find game time last season under Pep Guardiola, who subsequently moved him on to Arsenal this summer, where the Brazil international has started spectacularly. Jesus, though, was also a strong performer last season when given the opportunity.
5. Sadio Mane – Liverpool
Another player to be moved on in the summer, Mane is widely regarded as a strong contender to win the Ballon d’Or thanks to his exploits for club and country. His credentials at Liverpool are spelled out by his strong displays when deployed as a No.9 last term, a role that was not even considered his best.
4. Odsonne Edouard – Crystal Palace
A newcomer in the Premier League last season, Edouard made an instant impression at Crystal Palace. The Frenchman, who joined from Celtic, is more of a traditional centre-forward than either Jesus or Mane but managed only six goals from his 29 outings. Nevertheless, his overall displays were formidable.
3. Harry Kane – Tottenham
Pushed to leave Tottenham in the build up to the 2021/22 season, in which he made his now traditional slow start. Once he scored his first goal in October, though, he got up and running and finished the campaign with a commendable 17. His overall performance, meanwhile, was rated as the third-best from a centre-forward in the league.
2. Diogo Jota – Liverpool
Signed from Wolves in the summer of 2020, Jota has quickly established himself as part of the furniture at Anfield, forcing Roberto Firmino into an increasingly peripheral role at the club. Last term, he scored 15 Premier League goals in 35 matches – a personal best in top-flight football. Will surely be regarded as one of the league’s best in years to come.
1. Phil Foden – Manchester City
The era of the false 9 is truly upon us given that Phil Foden was rated as the league’s best centre-forward last season. Guardiola used him there as a makeshift option following the departure of Sergio Aguero and City’s failure to land Kane. It proved to be a masterstroke as Foden led his side to the title, despite possessing few of the attributes of a traditional centre forward.
